The Russian Ambassador to Italy, Alexey Paramonov, was summoned to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express a protest over the “extremely serious and offensive” remarks made by TV propagandist Vladimir Solovyov directed at the Republic’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. This was reported by the head of the Italian diplomatic service, Antonio Tajani.
The day before, during his “Full Contact” program, Solovyov used derogatory terms against Meloni in both Italian and Russian. Specifically, he called her a “whore” and a “fascist beast” because, in his view, she “betrayed Trump, to whom she had sworn loyalty.”
Reaction from Official Rome:
- Giorgia Meloni: The Italian Head of Government responded to Solovyov on the social network X, stating that a “stark propagandist of the regime by his very nature cannot give lessons on either consistency or freedom.” She particularly emphasized: “Unlike others, we have no strings attached, we have no masters, and no one gives us orders.”
- Guido Crosetto: The Italian Minister of Defense demanded that the Russian Embassy in Italy “distance itself” from Solovyov’s words.
Position of the Russian Side: Russian Ambassador Alexey Paramonov stated that Italian diplomats had “once again missed the mark.” According to him, no sane person would ever think of perceiving “strictly personal, emotional private assessments” as an official statement from a state government.
Analytical Summary
The diplomatic scandal involving direct insults against the leader of Italy undermines Rome’s traditionally restrained foreign policy line. Unlike Germany, France, or the UK, Italy has historically tried not to adopt a maximally rigid position toward Russia, maintaining a more neutral and less confrontational tone. However, such outbursts from Russian state media figures effectively destroy the space for this “soft” policy.
Meloni’s thesis about the “absence of strings and masters” indicates that Rome is finally choosing a path of full consolidation with the general European agenda. The insult to the Prime Minister’s national dignity deprives the Italian government of the possibility to continue its former course. In the context of 2026, this incident forces Italy’s drift toward a much more aggressive rhetoric, characteristic of Berlin or Paris. Instead of remaining a country with a moderate stance, Italy is demonstrating a readiness to be as united as possible with the European Union in matters of pressure on Moscow, leading to the elimination of the last pockets of neutrality in “Old Europe.”